Recipe Contest & Cook-Off

Congratulations to the Eight 2011 Cook-Off Finalists!

Garlic & Lobster Curry Corn Chowder with Sweet Potato Bites & Thai Garlic & Hot Chili Swirl
Judy Reynolds / Bloomington IN

Spicy Tuna Towers with Garlic 3 Ways
Derick Thurman / Charlotte NC

Garlic Infused Tilapia, Beet, Parsnip & Sweet Potato Stacks with Watercress Aioli
Emily Falke / Santa Barbara CA

Christopher Ranch Pesto Chicken with Garlic-Laced Stone Fruit Sauce
Mary Shivers / Ada OK

Garlic-Covered Pork & Pork-Covered Garlic with Roman Gnocchi & Paprika Cream Sauce
Wendy Hector / Sacramento CA

Tomato Glazed Veal Chops with Roasted Garlic & Sage Spatezle
Michaela Rosenthal / Woodland Hills CA

Stacked Steak Napoleon on Garlic Paper with Asparagus, Radicchio, Shiitakes & Stilton
Jamie Brown-Miller / Napa CA

Lime in De Coconut Garlic Tarts
Susan Mason / Milton WA

# # # # #

2011 First Place

Stacked Steak Napoleon on Garlic Paper with Asparagus, Radicchio, Shiitakes and Stilton
by contestant Jamie Brown-Miller, Napa CA

First

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Garlic Paper:
Cooking spray
8 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
8 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste

Steak:
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon hot sauce
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ pounds beef tenderloin, thinly sliced

Shiitakes:
36 shiitake mushrooms, de-stemmed
½ cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon truffle oil

Vegetables:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
36 asparagus tips
2 cups radicchio, chopped

3/4 cup Stilton cheese, crumbled

Method of Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Fold in the garlic and spread the mixture thinly on the foil. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper, and then bake for 40 minutes or until light gold in color. Turn oven off, partially open door and let cool for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and slice into 18 squares. Set aside until ready to use.

While the garlic paper cooks, make the remaining components.

Steak:
In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, hot sauce, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Toss the steak with the mixture and refrigerate until ready to use.

Mushrooms:
Add shiitake mushrooms, butter, salt, pepper and truffle oil to a medium saucepan and cook, covered, on medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Vegetables:
In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Toss with asparagus tips and pour into a large skillet. Cook on medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. When asparagus is almost done, stir in the radicchio and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.

Bring a large skillet to high heat and add the steak. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until to desired doneness.

Assemble:
Place one square of garlic paper on six plates. Add equal amounts of steak and mushrooms. Place another square of garlic paper on top of the steak and mushrooms, then add asparagus and radicchio. Add one more square of garlic paper on top of the vegetables, then sprinkle with the cheese.

2011 Second Place

Garlic Infused Tilapia, Beet, Parsnip and Sweet Potato Stacks with Watercress Aioli
by contestant Emily Falke, Santa Barbara CA

Second Place - 2011

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

6 metal cooking rings 3 inches tall
Non stick cooking spray

Fish:
1 pound tilapia fillets divided into 2 inch x 2 inch pieces and ¼inch thick
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Flour seasoned with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
2 eggs beaten
3 cloves garlic chopped very fine
3 tablespoons butter

Vegetables:
3 fresh dark red beets sliced 1/8 inch thick
3 fresh golden beets sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 sweet potato sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 small parsnip sliced 1/8 inch thick
6 orange baby sweet peppers sliced in 1/8 inch rings
6 cloves garlic crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
¼ - ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Garnish:
1 carrot peeled and cut into diagonal slivers
½ cup edamame beans, shelled
1 watermelon radish cut in half moon shapes 1/8 – ¼ inch thick
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
Seasoned rice vinegar

Watercress Aioli:
1 whole bulb of baked garlic
2 egg yolks
Juice of 1 lime
2 stalks of lemon grass chopped fine
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 scallions chopped fine
1 cup of watercress
1 small serrano chili
Kosher salt and cracked mixed pepper corns
½ cup olive oil
½ cup safflower oil

Method of Preparation:

Cut top 1/3 off of garlic bulb. Place on foil in a baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Pinch foil up around garlic bulb so that it is sealed. Roast in 375 degree oven for 45 minutes; cool. Pop cloves out of paper skins and set aside. Discard garlic skins.

Combine all aioli ingredients in food processor and blend adding a slow stream of oil until thick and emulsified. Set aside. (Refrigerate if you are not making the remainder of the dish right away).

Cut pieces of tilapia into 2 inch x 2 inch and ¼ inch thick pieces or to fit in mold rings. Sauté garlic in butter and mix into panko crumbs. Dust each piece of fish in fl our, salt and pepper mixture, dip in beaten egg and roll in panko/garlic crumbs.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and olive oil in pan and sauté 6 cloves of minced garlic. Add sliced beets, parsnip and sweet potato and sauté until well coated and partially cooked.

Spray inside of 3 inch ring molds with non stick oil spray. Place rings in well oiled glass baking dish. Beginning with a layer of fish, alternate vegetables and fish pressing the ingredients down firmly into the ring with a soup can. Fish should be the last ingredient at the top of the ring as it browns nicely. There should be at least 3 layers of each ingredient.

Drizzle carrot, edamame and watermelon radish with seasoned rice vinegar. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake stacks for 45 minutes until golden brown.

Drizzle aioli sauce in a wide ring on each plate. Carefully remove each stack to individual plates with a spatula under the stack and tongs around the stack. Lift metal ring slowly so as not to allow the stack to fall.

Garnish the stack with edamame, carrot, orange pepper and watermelon radish.

2011 Third Place

Spicy TunaTowers with Garlic 3 Ways
by contestant Derick Thurman, Charlotte NC

Third Place - 2011

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Chili-Garlic Dipping Sauce:
Extra virgin olive oil cooking spray
5 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Thai-style chili-garlic sauce (such as Sriracha sauce)

Garlic-Ginger Dressing:
10 large garlic cloves, peeled
4 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Thai-style chili-garlic sauce (such as Sriracha sauce)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if necessary to taste
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Garlicky Wonton Chips:
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
18 wonton wrappers
Extra virgin olive oil cooking spray

TunaTowers:
½ cup pine nuts
24 ounces sashimi grade tuna (such as yellowfin or big eye), diced
2 avocadoes, peeled, pitted, and diced

Method of Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray with cooking spray the five, unpeeled garlic cloves and wrap tightly with foil. Roast until soft, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to touch peel and mash the roasted garlic. Whisk together the remaining chili-garlic dipping sauce ingredients with the roasted garlic in a small sauce pan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then continue to simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes, whisking often. Pour the sauce into a small, non-reactive bowl and refrigerate to cool, at least 30 minutes.

Puree the garlic-ginger dressing ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor or blender until smooth. While running the food processor or blender on a lower setting, stream in the olive oil to emulsify. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary. Refrigerate the dressing at least 30 minutes.

For the garlicky wonton chips, combine the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cumin in a small bowl. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. Cut the wonton wrappers in half, diagonally. Spray a sheet pan with the cooking spray and lay out the wonton triangles. Depending upon the pan size, this may require two or more batches. Spray the wonton triangles with the cooking spray, then dust liberally with the seasoning mix. Bake until just lightly browned and crispy, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to cool.

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Toast the pine nuts, shaking occasionally, until just beginning to brown, 6 to 10 minutes. Cool on a paper towel. In a non-reactive bowl, gently combine the garlic-ginger dressing, pine nuts, tuna, and avocado. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Spoon some of the tuna mixture onto each of 6 plates. Top each with a wonton chip. Carefully repeat this process 6 times, to build tuna towers. Divide any remaining tuna mixture evenly among the plates, mounding next to the towers. Spoon at least 2 teaspoons of the chili-garlic dipping sauce on each plate, to the side, or serve in small, dipping dishes.

About the Great Garlic Cook-Off

The Great Garlic Cook-off is one of the most well-known cooking contests in the country.

Starting in December of each year, the Gilroy Garlic Festival puts out a call across the United States and Canada for the best garlic recipes. Hundreds of amateur chefs respond with delicious sounding recipes that run the gamut from soups to desserts and from every type of cuisine.

Recent winners have included Warm Weather Watermelon Crabmeat Kissed South Seas Soup; Spicy Garlic Butter Cookies with Garlic Goat Cheese and Honey, Walnut-Garlic Tart with Garlic-Infused Cream and Chili Syrup; Chai Steeped Chicken Breasts with Oriental Aioli; and Basil and Garlic-Stuffed Sea Scallops wrapped in Prosciutto and served with a Spicy Citrus Beurre Blanc.

The most delicious-sounding recipes, approximately 50, are forwarded to a professional food consultant who makes the final selection of the eight recipes. The consultant prepares each recipe to ensure correct measurements and use of ingredients. These finalists' recipes are those considered to make the most interesting and exciting contest.

The finalists come to Gilroy to prepare their recipes on the Saturday of the festival in front of the public. By 12:15, celebrity judges pick their favorites. The winner of the Great Garlic Cook-Off is appropriately honored with a crown of garlic and goes home $1,000 richer. Second place is awarded $750; third, $500. The other finalists are given $100.00 each.

For garlic tips and new recipes, the Great Garlic Cook-Off Stage is the place you want to be!

2012 Great Garlic Festival Recipe Contest & Cook-off Rules

1. Recipes for the 2012 Great Gilroy Garlic Festival Recipe Contest and Cook-off must be original and specify at least six, cloves of fresh garlic, or the equivalent packaged form (three teaspoons minced or chopped.) Recipes must serve six, be fully prepared, plated and ready for presentation to the judges within a maximum of two hours. Contestants may enter as many recipes as they wish, one entry per envelope or Internet transmission. Each entry must be typewritten or hand-printed legibly in recipe format. A photo of each entry should be included with the recipe submission. Recipe format lists ingredients in order of use with amount/quantity, followed by step-by-step method of preparation. The contestant name, address and telephone number must be included with each recipe submission.

2. Professional chefs, cooks, food stylists and other food specialists are prohibited from entering this contest. Previous Gilroy Garlic Festival Cook-off contest winners (first, second and third place) are ineligible to enter for three full years (e.g. the winners of the 2011 Cook-off are not eligible to enter until the call for recipes for the 2015 Cook-off). Contest is open to U.S. and Canada residents only, twenty-one years of age or older. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by state or local law.

3. Recipes must be mailed, or transmitted via the Internet to Gilroy Garlic Festival Association, Inc., 2012 Great Garlic Recipe Contest and Cook-off, P.O. Box 2311, Gilroy, CA95021-2311, and postmarked no later than May 1, 2012. The Internet address is: clove@gilroygarlicfestival.com. All recipes submitted as entries become the property of the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association, Inc. By entering the contest, all participants consent to the commercial use of their name, picture, likeness and recipe for advertising and publicity purposes without further compensation.

4. Food professionals will consider qualifying entries. These food professionals select the eight finalists. Notification and details of Cook-off participation will be made to the eight finalists prior to June 15, 2012. A certification of recipe originality will be required from each finalist.

5. Finalists provide the ingredients necessary for their recipes (with the exception of garlic which the festival provides), as well as all required cooking utensils &dishes for presentation (stoves, sinks and refrigerators will be provided). Include a picture of the prepared dish with your entry. The photo does not have to be professionally done; it will serve as an aid in the initial review process.

6. On July 28, 2012, dishes prepared by the finalists on the festival Cook-off Stage, will be judged by a panel of six judges, food experts and celebrities. Selection of the five judges is at the sole discretion of the Garlic Festival Cook-off Committee. The basis for judging will be ease of preparation, flavor, texture, creativity, appearance and use of garlic. The decision of the judging panel is final and binding.

7. On stage participation during the Cook-off is limited to the contestants and volunteer helpers provided by the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Family and friends of the contestants are not permitted on-stage during the Cook-off.

8. Prizes at the Great Gilroy Garlic Festival Recipe Contest are offered only to those finalists who participate in the Cook-off on July 28, 2012. The prizes are: $1,000 for first place; $750 for second place; and $500 for third place and $100 for each of the other five finalists. All taxes are the sole responsibility of the winners.

9. The Garlic Festival will provide each contestant (from out of the area) with hotel accommodations, one room for two nights in Gilroy. Additional room charges are the sole responsibility of the contestant.

10. Each contestant is expected to make his or her own travel arrangements toGilroy,California. If warranted, one ticket for air travel will be reimbursed to the contestant at coach class fare. A rental car for a contestant will be reimbursed at mid-size or smaller rate for a maximum of two days, costs not to exceed $55 per day.

Take a look back at the 2011 Great Garlic Cook-off & Cooking Events

Friday, July 29, 2011
Master of Ceremonies: John Zekanoski

11:00      Master Chef Challenge       John Toste (Lizarran Tapas Restaurant)
                                                      vs. Gino Fortino & Kraig Youmans
                                                      (Fortino Winery)

1:15 Master Chef Challenge Winners Announced

1:30 Fire It Up Friday Demo Vickroy Brothers with Angelo Sosa

Afternoon Master of Ceremonies: Gene Sakahara & Sam Bozzo

2:00 “So You Think You Can Cook with Garlic”

3:45 Local Celebrity Chefs SakaBozzo & Ada Wong (Biggest Loser)

Saturday, July 30, 2011
Great Garlic Cook-off Contest Master of Ceremonies: Dan Green & Kate Callaghan

10:00       Cook-off Contest

Judges:
Jay Minzer -
     Personal Chef
Andrea Froncillo
     The Stinking Rose Restaurant, The Franciscan
Evelyn Miliate
     Food Editor Raley’s, Bel Air, Nob Hill Foods
Majid Bahriny
     Mama Mia’s Italian Restaurants
Wendy Brodie
     Food Consultant, Art of Food T.V.

12:15 Cook-off Contest Winners Announced

Afternoon Master of Ceremonies: Kirsten Carr

1:00 Celebrity Chef Andrea Froncillo
The Stinking Rose Restaurant; The Franciscan

2:00 Celebrity Chef Michael Giletto, Executive Chef
Ocean Place Resort & Spa; Gourmet Butterfly Media

3:00 Celebrity Chef Angelo Sosa
Sosa Consulting Group, LLC; Bravo TV's "Top Chef"

4:00 Celebrity Chef Evelyn Miliate, Food Editor
Raley’s, Bel Air, Nob Hill Foods

Sunday, July 31, 2011
Master of Ceremonies: Angelo Sosa

11:00 Local Celebrity Chefs Michael Melone & Gloria Melone

12:00 Garlic Showdown Professional Chefs compete for $5,000

2:00 Garlic Showdown Winner announced

Afternoon Master of Ceremonies: Greg Bozzo

2:45 Celebrity Chef Ryan Scott
Private Caterer & Owner, Ryan Scott 2 Go